Tempie Brown was promoted to second assistant coach entering her second season with the Spartans.

Sept. 4, 2010

EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Michigan State University women's basketball head coach Suzy Merchant announced changes to her staff for the 2010-11 season. Assistant coach Tempie Brown was promoted to second assistant coach, while Terry Smith was hired as an assistant coach.

"Tempie has done a tremendous job this past season which is deserving of recognition, as well as a promotion," said Merchant. "She has a strong work ethic that has had a major impact on numerous areas within our program."

Brown is back for her second season with MSU. Her increased responsibilities include being the staff's academic liaison, strength and conditioning coordinator, and perimeter position coach.

"We are thrilled with the addition of Terry Smith to our staff," said Merchant. "We were looking for an experienced coach that is an excellent teacher of the game and has the skill set we need to continue the development of our student-athletes both on and off the court. He has dedicated himself to the coaching profession his entire career and is extremely passionate about the game of basketball. I have known Terry since 1992 and he is someone that I have tremendous respect for in the coaching profession. In addition, the fact that Terry is a Michigan State alum and has always taken great pride in being part of the Spartan family, certainly makes his arrival even more exciting."

Smith, a 1984 graduate of Michigan State University, comes to the MSU program with 19 of years of collegiate head coaching experience. Most recently, he spent the last three seasons as the men's basketball head coach at Alma College in Alma, Mich., after previous stops at Grand Valley State University (1997-2004) and Lake Superior State University (1991-97). Smith got his start in collegiate coaching as an assistant coach at Ferris State University during the 1987-88 season, before moving to Lake Superior as an assistant in 1988 until he was promoted to head coach in 1991.

Smith will be instrumental in the development of the Spartan offense, while assisting with individual skill development, opponent scouting, game planning, and recruiting. He will also be the coordinator of the MSU summer camps.

Associate head coach Shane Clipfell will return for his 13th season with Merchant, including his fourth with the Spartans. Former Spartan standout Julie Dombroski will serve as Director of Basketball Operations and Technology for her fourth season. Earlier this summer, David De La Pena joined the Spartan staff as the Coordinator of Basketball Operations. De La Pena, a graduate of the University of Texas, spent the last two seasons as the video coordinator and graduate assistant coach at Lubbock Christian University in Lubbock, Texas.

In addition, Jami Baker returns for her second season as a graduate student assistant, while Lindsay Scarlatelli begins her first year as a graduate student assistant, coming to East Lansing from Oakland University.